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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions.
This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization.
Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

Add to this a much longer list of threatened or endangered species that are likely to become extinct because of similar problems. In fact, we lose dozens of species every day, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

But what about the coyote? Is it threatened? No, not by a long shot. There's probably no way it can be. It's only real predator, besides humans, is the mountain lion. And when was the last time you saw a mountain lion?

No, the coyote is here to stay, and its only purpose in life is to eat your small dog, cat and maybe, just maybe, try and grab a baby.

Sure, most of the time coyotes will stay within their sandbox and eat rabbits, squirrels, snakes, birds, lizards and berries. But why try to catch a roadrunner when they can grab Fluffy on a leash?

He's called Wile E. Coyote for a reason.

So the debate now is whether to trap and kill the varmints or point the finger back at us. Opponents of killing say that coyotes have just as much right to be here as we do. We should be smarter about prevention.

Proponents of killing say that prevention is not effective and the risk of having a pet or child hurt or killed warrants taking stronger action.

Wildlife experts agree with both sides. Prevention is good and necessary, but if there are cases of aggressive behavior, those specific coyotes need to be taken out.

"Management experience has shown that removal of only a few problem coyotes from a population will reinstill fear of humans in the remaining population, often solving coyote problems in that locality for months or even years," according to the University of California's Research and Extension Center.

It's understandable that opponents to killing would yell loudly at this recommendation. As we speak, social media is aflame with hate toward the city of Laguna Beach for its decision to trap and euthanize coyotes.

There is an emotional attachment that we arbitrarily assign to some species. In the case of coyotes, perhaps it has to do with our Western mythology and call of the wild. These romantic and sometimes poetic associations do little to solve the problem of a snarling, 40-pound alpha-male coyote about ready to snap the neck of an infant.

Do you honestly think that if the coyote did not look like a furry, possibly lovable dog and instead looked like a Tasmanian Devil, we would be having this conversation?

We assign value based on our own bias and appearances. It's the same reason we save sea lions but not uglier species that are much more threatened.

Make no mistake, we should not slaughter coyotes. But we should evaluate it rationally and with long, hard science, weighing the pros and cons.

Coyotes are not going anywhere. They are native to the West and have already adapted to every environment. They are now found, literally, almost everywhere in North America.

We just have to be smarter. We are, after all, on the top of the food chain.

Let's prove that we deserve the distinction.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached athansen.dave@gmail.com.

Two Massachusetts Eastern Coyotes at their den site

Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Aldo Leopold--3 quotes from his SAN COUNTY ALMANAC

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

Aldo Leopold

''To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."

Wildlife Rendezvous

Like so many conscientious hunters and anglers come to realize, good habitat with our full suite of predators and prey make for healthy and productive living............Teddy Roosevelt depicted at a "WILDLIFE RENDEZVOUS"

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This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of my various thoughts and opinions, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Rick Meril and WWW.COYOTES-WOLVES-COUGARS.COM make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.